Italy-based cable manufacturer Prysmian Group has officially opened its US$ 15 million optical fiber manufacturing plant in the state of Durango, which according to local officials will create 400 direct jobs.

The plant is the largest of its kind in Latin America and will initially produce some 1 million kilometers (621,371 miles) of fiber-optic cable a year for customers in Mexico, Central America and Colombia before doubling capacity in a second phase.

This is Prysmian third production site in Durango. Dutch group Daka, a subsidiary acquired by Prysmian in 2011 for EUR 900 million, owned a manufacturing site dedicated to cable for automotive harnesses by the time the bid was made.

Once the acquisition was completed the new company opened a second facility to manufacture light cable for aerospace applications.

The automotive cable plant processes 20 tons a day aimed for Lear and Yasaki auto suppliers, while the other facility makes 20,000 kilometers (12,400 miles) of light cable for entertainment systems and controls featured in the Airbus A380 and A350 aircrafts.

The company was recently awarded a three-year, US$ 300 million contract to supply fiber cable to Verizon Communications.